This is one of those classic fantasy books on my TBR list forever. I finally got around to reading it, and am I glad I did. To be fair, this book barely has any overt fantasy, mainly in the last few pages, but it's set in the early seventies at a college in the Midwest. I'm from that era, so I appreciated the story anyway.
It's based on an old Scottish ballad, so there are actually a lot more fantasy references if you know the story. In the song, Janet Carter is pregnant by her lover Tam Lin who belongs to the Queen of Elfland. She must rescue him by pulling him from his horse and keeping hold of him as the Queen transforms him into different creatures, finally not dropping him as a burning brand.
Ms. Dean transplants the story to a college setting, which works very well. I'm not sure that a younger reader would appreciate the details she weaves into the story. Still, I delighted in the references to purple Mimeo sheets, checkbooks, political and music asides, and other iconic symbols of that time.
I also appreciated the quotes and references to other books and plays that were part of a college education (at least back then - do they even teach Latin and Greek in school anymore?). It took me back to my own college days when we left notes in Elvish for each other and shared music/books in free-for-all discussions late at night; there's a definite nostalgia element in reading this book for me.
The writing is lyrical, a descriptive love letter to the setting and the characters. The protagonist, Janet, is practical, testy, and strong. She deals with contraception, difficult roommates, and her studies. She wants to get the most out of her college years while constantly feeling she's missing things. She struggles with which courses she wants to take or the secrets her friends may be hiding, but also doesn't have the time to delve into them much. This leads to the first few years seeming stretched out and the ending feeling a bit rushed. It's not enough to bother me as I enjoyed the book immensely. Tam Lin is a throwback to the fantasy books I read in my youth by Charles de Lint, Patrica McKillip, Robin McKinley, or Terri Wilding. It may not be for everyone, but I'm firmly in the camp that loves this book and plan to reread it in future. ( )

Tam Lin by Pamela Dean (1991)

I have been somewhat roundly and gleefully ravished by this book over the last couple days- I took it with me to a New Years' party and this morning, at around 4am, I cheerfully relinquished the last remaining pretense of sleep and went to make a plate of pasta in my underwear so I could finish it. I have actually had the sneaking suspicion it would have this effect on me for several years now, I think, and thusly put it off- look, everyone's got a thing, alright, and for whatever unknowable reason, mine's Tam Lin adaptations. Every time I think I've escaped them I find another one and they stick to my brain like treacle. Anyway, this was an easy and immediate five star, everything Pamela Dean's written is now on my kindle, I already want to reread it (but I'll hold off for a little). It made me work to piece everything together, always good with a ballad retelling, and it was Bisexual As Hell. ( )

Was recently reminded of this one by [b:A College of Magics|382870|A College of Magics (A College of Magics, #1)|Caroline Stevermer|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1312062335s/382870.jpg|1407092] ( )

I read the first third of this book thinking it was Perilous Gard by Pope that I last read in junior high. This book is not that one. I'll be checking to see if PG lives up to my memory.

If one had attended college in Minnesota in the 70s or 80s I think this book would be a pleasant way to spend time. I found it too long, too heterosexual and too old fashioned in its English academic opinions.

Also the switching of boyfriends was unexpected and I never understood the appeal of the one true love. ( )